Lawyers

Principal

Of Counsel

Senior Attorney

Miller Canfield has been at the forefront of innovation and creativity when helping local governments effectively operate and serve their communities in the face of diminishing revenues. Local governments around throughout Michigan are often turning to intergovernmental cooperation agreements, under which units of government partner to combine services, share costs and create additional resources for their communities which would not be available to a municipality bearing the cost of such services alone.

Intergovernmental cooperation agreements can also help municipalities qualify for financial benefits under state incentive programs for the consolidation of services. For fiscally stressed local units, they provide a mechanism, through a consent agreement, for state cooperation to remedy the stress as an alternative to the appointment of an emergency manager.

Miller Canfield lawyers regularly advise clients on the range of laws that authorize intergovernmental cooperation agreements for different purposes, and have had a hand in drafting legislation expanding the scope of available intergovernmental arrangements. We bring this knowledge to drafting and negotiating agreements that carefully address core issues of control, funding, dispute resolution, dissolution and employment and labor matters, to benefit and protect our clients.